ALAMEDA — A man arrested Thursday for burglarizing a Victorian home that was condemned as unliveable admitted stealing 10 guns from the property during previous break-ins, police said.

A police officer working undercover allegedly spotted Thomas Garner Waterman, 37, acting suspiciously outside the house on Central Avenue and later found him hiding under a porch when he went to investigate.

Waterman admitted breaking into the Victorian — which the city has designated as historic — on at least three occasions during the past three weeks, police said.

Among the items Waterman stole were 10 guns, which investigators said they recovered when they later searched the suspect’s residence on Lincoln Avenue.

Waterman was booked on suspicion of burglary, possessing stolen property and other felonies. He is expected to appear Monday in Alameda County Superior Court. Alameda police have beefed up patrols and are increasing their searches of residents on parole and probation in a bid to curtail a recent spike of burglaries on the Island.

As part of the effort, Officer Dave Pascoe was in plain clothes Thursday afternoon patrolling the 1600 block of Central Avenue when he said he saw Waterman acting suspiciously.

“I saw him walking through an apartment complex on Santa Clara Avenue and then he hopped a fence onto the property on Central Avenue,” Pascoe said.

Police initially did not find Waterman when they searched the property. But officers later found him hiding under a porch, Pascoe said.

Investigators described the weapons that were stolen from the house as nine revolvers and one rifle.

Police also seized two rifles and one shotgun Waterman owns from his residence. He was allegedly in possession of about $50 worth of methamphetamine and a pipe for smoking the substance.

Other items that Waterman allegedly stole during the burglaries at the Victorian include a blueprint for the historic home and a book its owner uses to keep records, police said.

The four-story single-family home measures 9,000 square feet and has 12 bedrooms.

Details about the dispute between and the city and the property owner — and what led the city to board up the Victorian — were not immediately available. But city records show that citations have been issued in the past over abandoned vehicles and trailers parked at the property and for other code violations.

The owner was also before the city’s Historic Advisory Board in December 2004 after he reportedly removed several Live Oak trees from the front yard without a permit.